Sunday, September 30, 2018

2018-09-24 Pitchers with 20 wins & 20 losses in the same season


Q.        Whose record for most times leading his league in strikeouts did Nolan Ryan never manage to catch?
Hint:     No pitcher in the modern era has hit more batters with pitches during a major league career.
Hint:     Notwithstanding his legendary control, he once hurled 4 wild pitches in a single inning.
A.         WALTER JOHNSON  [SABR Bio]
-  Led in K 12X (Ryan = 11X)
-  Career 205 HBP
-  WP 4th inning, 21-Sep-1914
FCR -  Tony Hughes, Woodbridge, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Bob Gibson, Lefty Grove, Christie Mathewson, Randy Johnson, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton, Jim Maloney

TUESDAY
Q.        Who was the first qualifying Braves pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since World War I?
Hint:     He faced Roberto Clemente and Mark McGwire.  (Not in the same game.  That would be a record.)
Hint:     His modest former home is located on a street named for him.
A.         PHIL NIEKRO  [SABR Bio]
-  His 1966 ERA was 1.87 (Greg Maddux did it twice subsequently.)
-  Faced Clemente first on 28-Apr-1964.  Clemente singled in an RBI.  Faced McGwire last on 29-Aug-1987.  McGwire tripled.
-  4138 Phil Niekro Parkway, Norcross, Georgia and is currently being rented.
FCR -  Adam Balutis, Arlington, Virginia
Incorrect guesses:  Doyle Alexander, Warren Spahn, Greg Maddux

TUESDAY TWICE
Q.        Who was the seventh native of the state of Maryland to be enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown?
Hint:     He and another better-known Hall of Famer share state-and-fruit-based nicknames.
Hint:     No other National Leaguer has ever thrown more complete games in a single season.
A.         VIC WILLIS  [SABR Bio]
-  HOF 1995 (between the 6th, Al Kaline in 1980 and the 8th, Call Ripken in 2007)
-  Ty Cobb was the “Georgia Peach”; Willis was called the “Delaware Peach”.
-  45 CG in 1904 (Jack Chesbro set the MLB mark the same year w/48.)
FCR -  Sam Bogen, Manhattan Beach, California
Incorrect guesses:  Al Kaline, Amos Rusie, Lefty Grove, Charles Radbourn, Iron Joe McGinnity

WEDNESDAY
Q.        What pitcher won the most games in a season for the original American League Baltimore Orioles?
Hint:     His metallic nick name derived from his previous occupation.
Hint:     Reinforcing his nickname for different reason, he once pitched both ends of 3 doubleheaders in a single month.
A.         JOE McGINNITY  [SABR Bio]
-  He led BLA in wins in 1901 w/26 and was the only staff member with double-digit victories in 1902, the last year of the franchise, w/1903.
-  He had worked for his father-in-law’s iron foundry in McAlester, Oklahoma.
-  Three twin-bills on 01-Aug, 08-Aug & 31-Aug for the 1903 NYG.  McGinnity won all six games.
FCR -  Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect guesses:  Don Larsen, Urban Shocker

MIDWEEK BONUS
Q.        Who does SABR refer to as, “Arguably the best left-handed knuckleball pitcher in major-league history”?
Hint:     In high school, he was recruited by some 50 colleges to play, variously, hockey, football and baseball.
Hint:     Since the 162-game MLB schedule began in 1961, no other pitcher, lefty or  righty, has had a season with more inning pitched.
A.         WILBUR WOOD  [SABR Bio]
-  He appears on virtually every list of baseball history’s top knuckleballers, but is always the only southpaw.
-  He signed instead, close to home, with the Red Sox before graduating.
-  He threw 376⅔ in 1972, breaking Mickey Lolich’s mark of 376 set just the prior season.  From 1971-75, Wood had 5 straight seasons of 290+ innings each.  Bert Blyleven was the last pitcher, in 1983, to exceed 290.
FCR -  Lincoln Mitchell, New York City
Incorrect guesses:  Charlie Hough, Mickey Lolich, Gaylord Perry

THURSDAY
Q.        Who is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter on his birthday?
Hint:     He once pinch-hit for Ty Cobb.
Hint:     He threw a one-hitter on Opening Day of his best season.  The sole knock was by a batter who later would six times be league home run king.
A.         GEORGE MULLIN  [SABR Bio]
-  B. 04-Jul-1880; No-no 04-Jul-1912.
-  Pinch-hit 22-Jun-1912, two weeks before his no-hitter.  Cobb had departed for the clubhouse early, with the Tigers down 11-3 w/2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Mullin flied out to end the game.
-  One-hitter 14-Apr-1909.  Hit was by Gavvy Cravath who also walked and stole a base.  He was the only one doing anything that day for the Pale Hose.
FCR -  Mark Pattison, Washington, DC
Incorrect guesses:  Bob Feller, Ed Walsh

FRIDAY
Q.        Whose record for strikeouts in a single World Series did Bob Gibson break in 1964?
Hint:     He had also once owned the record for most strikeouts in a World Series game, having broken Deacon Philippe’s record.
Hint:     He played an important role in the outcome of the first All-Star Game in Chicago in 1933.
A.         BILL DINNEEN  [SABR Bio]
-  28 K in the 1903 WS
-  Phillippe had struck out 10 in G 1.  Dinneen struck out 11 in G 2 the next day.  (Ed Walsh then K’d 12 in G 3 in the 1906 WS.)
-  He was the home plate umpire for the 1933 ASG.
FCR -  Scott Matteson, Shawnee, Kansas
Incorrect guesses:  Carl Hubbell, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez, Babe Ruth, Carl Erskine, Howard Ehmke, Lefty Grove, Bob Gibson, Bill Hallahan

SATURDAY
Q.        Who was the first pitcher in modern era baseball to win 20 games for a team that lost 100 that same season?
Hint:     He stood alone with that distinction for almost half a century.
Hint:     He led the majors as a rookie with 41 complete games.  That’s 39 more that Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber each had in 2017.
Hint:     No rookie in the 20th century pitched more innings or more complete games than he did in his debut season.
A.         IRV YOUNG  [SABR Bio]
-  In his rookie season of 1905, he won 20 and his team, the Boston Beaneaters (now Braves) lost 103.  Thus, 43% of the team’s victories were his.  No other member of the rotation won more than 14 and they EACH lost at least 20. (finished 7th of 8)
-  Ned Garver won 20 for the 52-102 St. Louis Brown of 1951 (finished last).
-  1905 = 378 innings pitched (led the majors) and 7 shutouts
FCR -  Walt Cherniak
Incorrect guesses:  Steve Carlton, Ned Garver, Pete Alexander, Jack Chesbro, Tom Seaver, Jack Taylor, Russ Ford, Rube Marquard, Ed Walsh

SUNDAY
Q.        Who threw the first no-hitter Ray Schalk ever caught?
Hint:     He showed up to his first professional tryout dressed in overalls and tennis shoes.
Hint:     In his best season in the majors, he tied Walter Johnson for the league lead in shutouts.
Hint:     Ring Lardner later made him a peripheral character in his dead ball classic, “You Know Me Al”.
Hint:     He died on the U.S./Mexico border.
A.         JIM SCOTT  [SABR Bio]
-  No-hitter 14-May-1914, later de-certified by MLB because he gave up 2 R in the 10th inning and lost the game.  Schalk caught 3 more no-nos.
-  Had 7 ShO in 1915.
-  Passed away of a heart attack 07-Apr-1957 at age 63 in Jacumba, California a census‑designated place  in eastern San Diego County.  It literally abuts the border with Mexico.
FCR -  Mike Sparks, Sarasota
Incorrect guesses:  Ed Cicotte, Doc White, Cy Falkenberg, Joe Benz


WEEKLY THEME – Modern era pitchers with 20 wins and 20 losses in the same season.

Pitcher           Year            W/L               Team         WAR           Team Finnish
Dinneen....... 1902........... 20/20........... BOS.......... 0.7...................... 3rd of 8
Johnson....... 1916........... 25/20........... WSH.......... 9.8.................... 7th of 8
McGinnity.... 1901........... 26/20........... BLA........... 7.6.................... 5th of 8
         "            1903........... 31/20........... NYG........ 11.7                       2nd of 8
Mullin........... 1905........... 21/21........... DET........... 3.8...................... 3rd of 8
         "            1907........... 20/20........... DET........... 2.9.................... 1st of 8
Niekro.......... 1979........... 21/20........... ATL........... 7.4.................... 6th of 6
Scott............. 1913........... 20/21........... CHW......... 7.5.................... 5th of 8
Willis............ 1902........... 27/20........... BSN........... 8.4...................... 3rd of 8
Wood............ 1973........... 34/20........... CHW......... 7.6.................... 5th of 6
Young.......... 1905........... 20/21........... BSN........... 9.2.................... 7th of 8


First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemeJohn Ford, Greenwich, Connecticut (after Mullin)

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tuesday -  Hall of fame pitchers who lost 20 games in a season
               -  Hall of Famers who led their leagues in Ks one year & ERA another year
               -  Hall of Fame pitchers who won 20 games and lost 20 games in the same season.

Wed        -  IP leaders
               -  20th century pitchers who led MLB with at least 340 IP in a season
               -  Pitchers who led the league in wins one year and era another











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